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Financial Reform

Arizona PIRG applauds Chairman Dodd of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee for moving forward towards passage of legislation to protect American consumers and increase the stability of the economy. We expect that Wall Street bankers who wrecked havoc on the economy and were then bailed out by the taxpayers will continue to try to delay or kill this reform designed to protect people on Main Street.

The new financial reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday is an important step towards protecting consumers and taxpayers from reckless financial practices, according to the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG).

Advocates from state and national consumer groups today urged the Federal Reserve Board to close loopholes in its proposed rules to prohibit credit card companies from using new tricks and traps to get around the protections of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosures Act (Credit CARD Act).

Today, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved landmark reform legislation establishing a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), despite attacks from industry opponents. Although several exceptions to the agency’s coverage must still be addressed on the House floor or in the Senate, overall, according to the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG), the CFPA bill as passed creates an independent agency with broad authority to protect consumers in the financial marketplace.

State and national consumer protection organizations applauded President Obama’s proposal to create a new federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency to ensure the safety, fairness and sustainability of credit. The agency would have broad powers to ensure that credit and payment products do not have predatory or deceptive features that can harm consumers or lock them into unaffordable loans.

The Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG) commends the U.S. Senate on overwhelming passage of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. While the U.S. House has already passed a similar Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights, we expect that the House will simply pass the identical Senate bill so Congress can send a final bill for the President to sign before Memorial Day.

More than fifty diverse organizations, including the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG), supported legislation introduced today by key Members of Congress to create a new federal agency to ensure the safety, fairness and sustainability of credit and payment products.